Obliviation

• Incantation: Obliviate
• Pronunciation: o-BLI-vee-ate
• Wand Movement: Unknown
• Light: Unspecified in the novels. (Often depicted as a jet of green or blue light in the film adaptations).
• Effect: Erases or modifies the memories of the target. The spell's complexity and power determine the extent of the memory alteration, from a single event to a person's entire identity.
• Type: Charm (Specifically, a Memory Charm)

The Memory Charm is a crucial spell for maintaining the International Statute of Secrecy, regularly employed by the Ministry of Magic's Accidental Magic Reversal Squad. It is used to erase the memories of Muggles who have witnessed magical events. The charm has also been used by individual wizards for both protective and nefarious purposes.

• Gilderoy Lockhart: Lockhart was a highly proficient user of the Memory Charm, which he used to steal the credit for heroic deeds from other wizards for his autobiographical books. In 1993, his attempt to use the charm on Harry Potter and Ron Weasley with Ron's broken wand backfired, causing him to suffer severe and permanent memory loss.
• Barty Crouch Sr.: He placed a powerful Memory Charm on Ministry of Magic employee Bertha Jorkins to make her forget she had discovered his son, Barty Crouch Jr., was alive and hidden at his home. The charm was so strong it caused permanent brain damage. Lord Voldemort later broke the charm through torture, which destroyed her mind and body in the process.
• Hermione Granger: In 1997, Hermione used a complex and powerful Memory Charm on her parents to protect them from Death Eaters. She modified their memories to make them believe they were Wendell and Monica Wilkins and sent them to Australia. She also successfully used the charm on Death Eaters Antonin Dolohov and Thorfinn Rowle after they ambushed the trio in London.
• Ministry Obliviators: At the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, Ministry wizards had to perform Memory Charms on the Muggle site manager, Mr. Roberts, and his family repeatedly due to the numerous magical disturbances.

Obliviation is a difficult spell that requires considerable skill. Improper use can result in irreversible damage to the target's mind, as demonstrated by the fates of Gilderoy Lockhart and Bertha Jorkins. A skilled caster can precisely modify memories, removing specific events or completely altering a person's identity. There is no known direct counter-spell for a Memory Charm. The effects can sometimes be broken through powerful magic, such as intense Legilimency or torture, but this method is highly destructive to the victim's mind. Hermione Granger expressed hope that she could reverse the charm on her parents, suggesting that a skilled caster who performed the modification may also be able to undo it.

The incantation Obliviate is derived from the Late Latin verb oblivisci, meaning “to forget.” It is the root of the English word “oblivion,” which refers to a state of being forgotten or of complete unawareness.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the backfired spell is shown as a powerful blast of blue energy. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, Hermione Granger's use of the spell on her parents is depicted as a silent, non-verbal charm that causes their images to fade from family photographs (film).
• In the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a mass Obliviation of New York City is performed using a potion containing diluted Swooping Evil venom dispersed by rain, a method far different from the standard wand-based spell (film).